jokeyhee

Eggspectation on the walk in JBR is quite possibly my new favourite place for breakfast. A sweeping statement I know since we all know how loyal and loving I am of the breakfast options at the Dubai Marina Yacht Club. However it's nice to have a change of scenery right and the gazillion of egg options doesn't hurt either.

Eggspectation has a great interior with chunky wooden tables and cosy little booths. Just the two of us, we had a relatively tiny table but I spied a huge table to seat about 8 which I would have like to called home with my eggs and coffee and a laptop in one of those romantic dreams in which I spend my days writing my book. Anyway back to reality.

The eggs were delicious. I had a smoked salmon benny and my eating partner in crime went for the lobster version. Perfectly cooked eggs with a delicious hollandaise and a whole heap of fresh fruit on the side which was a nice change from the usual grilled tomato or something equally generic.

Considering it was packed at 10am on a Saturday morning the service was pretty swift and no one asked us to give up our table even after over 2 hours and just 2 humble plates of eggs later.

Plus it has a nice little terrace that overlooks the beach if you want your breakfast alfresco. All in all I was very impressed with Eggspectation. And despite what the name may suggest they have a whole menu for lunch and dinner.

Usually lunch is an afterthought. A hurried picking at food from a plastic Tupperware at my desk before getting back to more important tasks. But sometimes it's nice to escape the confines of the office and actually have a proper lunch. 

I was lucky enough to experience The Scene, in Pier 7, Dubai Marina, before most, being invited along to the menu tasting by a very kind friend who clearly knows food is the way to my heart. We were thoroughly impressed with the food and the atmosphere then,  so I have been wanting to go back for a while. 

If you're looking for tasty Thai food in Dubai, that wont break your bank balance, Smilling BKK in Al Wasl Plaza, Al Safa is the place to go. Don't ask about the name because I really don't know but I was taken here by my lovely friends and by the time my plate was clear I didn't want to leave. 

It is a humble setting, with a very casual vibe and randomly decorated, with odd graphics on the wall and tons of little colourful lampshades handing from the ceiling, giving you a whole host of things to look at other than the menu. It is dark and eclectic and it feels almost like your in someones living room, which I love. 

But you should really get back to the menu. Which is huge and a little overwhelming for a first timer, I will admit, but once you get down into the depths of it, you will be fine. And everything that arrived at our table was amazing and packed full of delicious flavour, so I am certain whatever you order, your taste-buds will be happy. 

We scanned the menu for several minutes. And then a few minutes more, before shooting our toy gun into the air (given to us by the waitress on arrival) and in a second, a waitress appeared. This is how you let the staff know you're ready to order and I think it is a pretty genius idea. Saves those awkward moments with staff hovering around and you feeling rushed to make a decision. And there is nothing I hate more than being rushed when it comes to food choices. 

Anyway, we ordered the Big Smiling Sample Set to share, with its crispy bags of gold (dumpling type things) veggie spring rolls, fishcakes and prawn crackers, the Tom Yumm soup, the Kaeng Panang which was a delicious peanut curry, another thai curry, jasmine rice and another rice variety crammed with delicious flavour that I cant remember what it was now. 

And everything was phenomenal. They ask you how spicy you want your dishes when you order, 10%, 30%, 80%, you pick, which is another thing I like; because I love a little kick of heat and flavour, but don't want my head blown off. The soup was delicious, with a generous helping of spice and shrimp and the peanut chicken curry was nutty and creamy, with perfectly cooked, delicately spicy chicken. 

The quality of food and service in the place would warrant a high price tag, but that's not the case. This is delicious, well made food, at reasonable prices in the heart of Dubai. Which kinda proves my point that you don't have to spend a ton of cash to eat well or live well in Dubai, you just have to pick your places wisely. If your in Dubai and craving Thai food, Smiling BKK is definitely the place to go! 

I am a self confessed foodie with very little willpower when it comes to edible stuff. Working for an organic food company means I am adapting my food choices and have entered a whole new exciting world of superfoods, organic veggies and gluten free products and I now know what things like goji berries, maca powder and spirulina are. 

That doesn't mean I am now on some constant health kick; actually being introduced to a whole new world of healthy products has been fantastic because 90% of my week is filled with freshness so when I have those weekend feast moments, there is less guilt than before. Last night was definitely one of those said weekend feast moments as we headed into the depths of Bur Dubai, Oud Metha to be precise, to find something more traditional to salivate over.

Keif in Oud Metha is not the most glamorous restaurant in the city, but as I say, you should never judge a book by it's cover and the food that we consumed, will extinguish any issues with appearance after just one bite. Offering traditional Middle Eastern dishes, the menu is a huge offering that took a us a good 5 minutes to get to grips with. 

Keif has a super relaxed environment, comfy and cosy booth areas and tables to seat huge groups of friends. Men sat in small groups, smoking shisha and playing card games or watching football on the million different tv screens in that place. But don't let that put you off, since the volume was turned right down, we didnt even notice. Keif is the sort of place you wear your shorts and sandals not stilettos and that's just my cup of tea. 

Back to the food. We ordered several appetizers and mains and the food just comes when it comes which I love, since you can just pick and mix a bit like tapas or a meze. We had Hummus, Fatoush, Tabouleh and Falafel, traditional Middle Eastern flatbread, Chicken Shawerma and Mix Grill Platters, all washed down with the most amazing, fresh lime and mint juice I have ever set my eyes on. 

The quality of food is phenomenal; the hummus is probably one of my favourite things ever and I could have eaten that from the pot with a spoon, no bread required. The falafel had tonnes of flavour, was perfectly cooked and the sesame seeds on top add an extra crunch and nuttiness. The Fatoush and Tabouleh were so fresh and packed with great flavour which perfectly accompanied the meat overload that was about to come. The Chicken Shawerma came with fries and flatbread and a delicious garlic yoghurt dip and traditional pickles and the Mix Grill Platter with beef, chicken and koufta, piled on top of flatbread and fries was a delicious mix of perfectly cooked meat. 

I think one thing I like most about the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures are the food; the small plates of delicious offerings, designed to share. Although sometimes when food is that delicious, it's difficult to share, but it's clear, food and friends and eating are firmly part of the culture. 

If your in the mood for a traditional Middle Eastern food experience and aren't shy about leaving behind the glitz and glamour of Dubai, Keif, next to the Jordanian Social Club, is definitely a must visit. Especially since the bill for four people barely hit 350 dirhams, just £55. 

As a new expat in Dubai, I figured the best way to understand what this city had to offer was to read about it. So since I arrived I have been reading food blogs, religiously buying Time Out Dubai  and finding places on instagram to follow and lets face it, drool over.



I stumbled across the Tom & Serg instagram feed thanks to the explore feature and it was love at first sight. It seemed like such a cool place, with amazing looking, hearty dishes and during Ramadan they mixed up the iftar offerings with a Rule the Roast. I never made it to the roast dinner unfortunately and ever since I have been kicking myself. 

But yesterday, I finally made it to Tom & Serg, albeit to pick up take-away and it is as cool as it looks on instagram. The huge space has an industrial feel, yet somehow they've made it feel homely. Maybe that has something to do with the super friendly, attentive staff that greet you. I fell in love with the chalkboard wall and the cool open cased light fixtures that hang all the way down from the ceiling. And it has plenty of seating with a mezzanine floor for extra space, so even when we went at about 12.30 it didn't feel crowded. It was full of people working on their laptops, families having lunch and friends catching up over coffee and it really felt like a place for anyone; no age limit, no style profile, just a welcoming eatery. 

And the food is simply delicious; the breakfast menu caters for those heading down the healthy route or those wanting to treat themselves and they have a small but strong range of dishes, perfect for lunch or dinner. We opted for the morning after wrap, a breakfast style burrito with a fantastic collection of flavours, generously crammed into a paratha. With scrambled egg, beef bacon, roast chicken, mozzarella, crushed avocado, tomato and a black bean & lime salsa, it is a must try lunch fix. I can also sincerely recommend the super gooey, chocolatey brownie and the fresh orange juice too.

There is so much to do in Dubai that for a newbie expat it becomes a bit overwhelming, but slowly and surely, my bucket list of places to eat, things to see and stuff to do will be conquered. Starting with a return trip to Tom & Serg. 

I love to eat and I love to write, so combining two passions through work and play is making for one very happy expat recently. And Thursday night was a combination of both. I was invited by a fantastic friend to join her at the menu tasting of a new restaurant/bar in the heart of Dubai Marina and of course, I jumped at the invitation. 

The Scene is a new British food concept which recently opened in Pier 7 and after a couple of hours there on Thursday, I think it's a winner. Now since I have only been here for 2 months (yeh time flies right) I have tried just a handful of what the city has to offer, but I think the decor, the location and the food combined, will make this a very popular hangout for British expats living in Dubai. 

You know sometimes you have a great idea but in practice, it becomes all too clear that said great idea was actually more like an idiotic one? A weird way to start a post about food I know, but the story of how we came to be at Johnny Rockets munching on a man-sized burger is one of those moments. 

Thursday night is the new Friday night and we usually take the opportunity of the free time and no bedtime to explore. One particular Thursday a few weeks ago, we decided to go explore the other end of Dubai Marina, have a drink and spot of dinner before walking back along to our building. Because of the humidity, we decided getting a taxi to the other end and after a drink on the 52nd floor of a building (as you do) we headed out to find food. The curves of the walkway along the marina, combined with the humidity meant we had a longer, hotter walk than we had anticipated. 

We had been walking for probably around 20 minutes when we caught sight of Johnny Rockets, nestled inside a small air conditioned plaza and the thought of juicy burger and an icey cold milkshake was enough to persuade us from any of the other healthier eating options around us. 

Johnny Rockets in Dubai maintains the cool American dinner vibe, with booths and jukeboxes and old school American advertising posters plastered across the wall. The staff were really attentive and friendly, but more importantly, the food is yummy!

If you're in the mood for a big American style, juicy burger, with all the trimmings this is a good bet. I had a classic cheesburger and we got a half and half portion of fries and onion rings. But the real good thing about Johnny Rockets is the milkshakes. They are thick and creamy and full of calories so if you're someone who cares about those pesky things, avoid the milkshakes. Vanilla or Oreo are winners in my book. 

Oh and they deliver too. Something worth noting next time we think its a good idea to go a walk along the 8km marina walkway in the high summer temperatures of Dubai. 

When I moved to Dubai, it was a great chance for a fresh start both mentally and physically. It is fair to say my two months in London had a bit of an impact upon my waistline as I indulged in all the home comforts and British food I had missed for so long. So upon moving to Dubai I asked the boyfriend for a moving present so to speak......a blender! 

The blender has since become my new best friend and smoothies and juices are a regular in our diet. I have never been a huge fruit fan. I love piling my plate high with roasted or steamed veggies but when it comes to fruit there has always been a considerable lack of it in my day to day eating routine. So I figured smoothies would be a great way to change this. 

I am a bit fussy though when it comes to the texture of food and I have had to train myself to enjoy the thick gloopy nature of a smoothie and get over the bits that appear in home made juice.

After a month of experimentation I have my two favourites figured out; a berry and banana smoothie and a green apple, kiwi and coconut juice. Both are delicious and refreshing in the Dubai heat and are helping me to effortless cram extra vitamins and nutrients into my diet. 

Handful of frozen berries

1 Banana

3 tbsp of Yoghurt

half a cup of milk

1 tsp of honey 

Throw everything into the blender and whizz until smooth. 

1 Green apple

2 Kiwis

half a cup of coconut water

Juice of 1 lime

few sprigs of mint

I chop the apple first (because I use a blender not a juicer) and throw it into the blender with the coconut water, lime and mint. Scoop out the flesh from the kiwis and blend. I add a little extra still water and then blend a again. Strain and serve. 

For more exciting and adventurous recipes BBC good food has a load of smoothie recipes here and the Taste Australia website is soon to become my go to for new juice recipes. And if you have tried and tested and recipes, kindly send them my way. 

I'm foodie; I like snacks, I like vegetables, I like plates filled to the brim with delicious fresh salads and fish or grilled chicken and I like malteasers ice creams. I will eat pretty much anything except livers and eyeballs. Food brings me pleasure and I like cooking; the process of preparing an amazing meal is all part of the fun for me.

And one of the best bits of expat life is the food. Exploring a different country through its cuisine is one of the best ways to get to know a place. I probably get more excited than I should admit, when walking the aisles of the supermarket, as my eyes feast on a whole world of new products that my belly urges me to throw into shopping basket. 

While I haven't had a taste of traditional Emirati cuisine yet, I am certainly making the most of the abundance of fresh fish here in Dubai. In England, the fish quota within my diet extended to salmon and tinned tuna; I have a thing about buying fresh fish in London because I am never sure if it is just that, fresh. And I don't want to disappoint my taste-buds in a mediocre fish experience. No fear of that here though. The supermarket fish counter is packed with everything from whole fish and fillets to seafood and you only have to look at it to know it was swimming around not too long ago. 

As such, seabass has become a regular feature in our diet because it's cheap, easy to cook, versatile and really delicious! And it has loads of health benefits to boot; oodles of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a whole range of vitamins and minerals and can help improve brain function, reduce the accumulation of body fat and it is a natural anti-depressant (apparently). 

The fish counter can do the messy bit and clean it out and de-scale it etc. and then all you need is some olive oil, fresh lemon, salt and garlic. Pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes and what emerges is soft, delicately flavoured fish which melts in your mouth. Pair it with a fried potatoes (because fish and chips are an English girls perfect combination) a home made tatziki and a simple salad and you have a delicious dinner in no time. I will be honest, my better half is the fish king in our house and I do the rest. I do knock up a pretty decent tatziki after my years of training in Cyprus!

Remember I was saying it is versatile? Seabass can be paired with a whole host of flavours to suit your palate; this recipe and this one are next on my radar. 

Shake Shack is my new best friend. It's fast food but not your golden arches standard burger. No no, the Shake Shack is a more refined, tastier eating experience that will leave your taste buds wanting more. And more. Oh and just a little bit more. 

And the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) branch of Shake Shake is the perfect place for a post-beach feast with its cool and casual setting, just a few moments from the sand. From the external wood cladding, to the deck chairs on the beachfront patio, you can slurp on a milkshake and chomp down on cheesy fries while watching the sun set over the ocean. Although it is a little too hot and humid to sit out now, the inside has booths and bars, offering a sneaky view of the ocean through the glass windows. 

But back to the food. For me, burger places fall into three categories; the cheap and cheerful, the classic with high quality and the experimental. Camembert and cranberry chicken burger anyone?

The Shake Shack definitely falls under the second one. Offering a handful of options for a classic beef burger and a veggie option (sorry no chicken here) the menu is small but perfectly formed. The burger is cooked to perfection and had all the right additions without being overloaded. The bun is soft and fresh, a plus point because there is nothing worse than a slightly stale bun wrapping around your juicy burger. And the cheesy chips are just that; topped with a generous amount of cheddar and cheese sauce which melted over them like a gooey river of goodness. 

And the Shake Shack milkshakes deserve as much attention as the burgers. Refreshing, smooth and creamy, the vanilla milkshake is happiness in a cup. As long as you're not a calorie counter. And they go much further than your standard vanilla, chocolate and strawberry options. The caramel and peanut butter both fought for my attention, but next time I want to try the fair shake; a vanilla milkshake with 100% organic Arabica fair trade coffee. Oh and the fifty-fifty, which is half lemonade and half iced tea is also particularly yummy and refreshing for these hot, humid months.

Lazy Sunday mornings have been replaced by lazy Saturday mornings and I am surprised at how quickly my brain has adjusted to that. And part of a lazy Saturday or Sunday is breakfast. Breakfast is one of my favourite things, although any meal time ranks highly in my books and living in Dubai Marina, I am sure there are a million places we could go. But I have been here for just over two weeks and the only place I have ventured for breakfast is the 25 55 Cafe Bistro at Dubai Marina Yacht Club. 

And that is not because I am lazy; you know I would climb a mountain for good food. No, it's because I can't get the mental taste of eggs benedict florentine out of my brain, since my first encounter on my second day in Dubai. The perfectly poached eggs and the creamy spinach and hollandaise sauce have been permanently etched into my brain and since the boyfriend suggested breakfast, my taste buds have been in a frenzy. 

25 55, named after Dubai's nautical coordinates has a calm and classy interior, dark wood, white and blue bringing the feeling of the ocean inside. The breakfast menu has something for everyone; a full English breakfast served up in a cast iron frying pan, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, granola, pancakes or a fresh fruit platter. Oh and I totally recommend you start your menu deliberations with a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice. 

The staff are amazingly attentive and patient; I say patient because the boyfriend wanted to substitute half the items in his full English breakfast with other items and the waiter was very obliging. And as I already mentioned, I can recommend the eggs benedict florentine. Oh and one last thing, they give you the choice of pork sausages, which is a big plus as not everywhere will. 

I'll be sure to try something else off the breakfast menu on our next visit so I can give you a more rounded review of the food. And with a view like that, Dubai Marina Yacht Club is firmly on my radar as a breakfast hotspot.

Being friends with vegetarians means you have to re-think vegetables and try and make them into a whole meal, that is not only balanced and nutritious but that is satisfying. 

Luckily I like vegetables and particularly, any vegetable that has been roasted in the oven, bathed in olive oil, tossed with a little bit of salt and smothered in some herbs. I am not sure why, but when vegetables are roasted they have this gorgeous glossy, soft texture that almost melts in your mouth. 

So a few weeks ago I decided a warm cous cous salad would be a good dinner idea. 

I roasted sweet potato and butternut squash, peppers, red onion, courgette and tomato in a big dish with olive oil, salt and oregano for about 45 minutes on a medium heat. I made up the cous cous with boiling water (for non veggies I usually make it with chicken stock) and left it to cool down. Once the vegetables were done, I tossed the cous cous and vegetables into a large serving dish and mixed in baby spinach before adding chunks of soft goats cheese. 

It is a pretty effortless dinner as most of the work is done by the oven and it is super tasty. If you need a protein fix, it would be the perfect side to a chicken breast. 

This BBC good food mediterranean chicken and vegetables would also be worth a try. Bon apetit.